Yet another creation integral to Nevada’s history has fallen prey to the evergrowing development in our area.
Once again, progress marched forward, kicking Nevada history to the curb in the process! Over the last 3 – 4 years, we’ve noticed that this deliberation destruction of our historic treasures appears to be a common theme in our area (See the post on the Stone House on the Mt. Rose Highway). The motel was razed approximately 18 months ago and Cruz Construction took all that gorgeous Rhyolite to the Carson City landfill. To date, nothing has been built on the site of the former motel.
This motel is on Highway 50, one block to the east of Carson Street. It is believed that Randall Wungnema was the master stonemason who built the motel in 1959. Over the years, the motel morphed into a strip mall, the trees were cut down and the stonework covered in paint, hiding the beauty of the stones. Compare the motel as it was in the late 1950s – early 1960s to how it appears today.
During the 1940s, Ernest and Burton Wungnema built a number of churches in and around Lake Tahoe. We believe that this church, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Kings Beach, California, is one of those churches. This church was built in 1947. Attempts to contact the church for verification and a brief history were unsuccessful.
Our Lady of the Lake, 1947 (Photo: Rustic Architecture of Lake Tahoe)
Family history has this father-son team building Catholic Churches in Kings Beach/Brockway and Truckee, California during that time frame.
Plus, it is known that the original windows for the Wungnema House in Carson City were purchased from Catholic Churches in those communities. These were the churches that Ernest and Burton built together. The churches had purchased frosted windows, yet received clear glass windows. When Ernest and Burton learned that the churches planned to return these clear glass windows to the manufacturer, they arranged to purchase them instead.
Our Lady of the Lake today (Photo: SCD.org)
Burton Wungnema, 1942, working on a church at Lake Tahoe (Photo: Nevada Indian Commission)
When this church was built, Burton was only 21, yet already a master stonemason. He had been working along side his brother, Randall, and his father for a number of years. His father, Ernest, worked and taught masonry at the Stewart Indian School (SIS). Ernest took pride in his finished work product, a trait he passed onto his children and grandchildren.
Take a look at the precise alignment of the stones, the even-texture of the grouting and the corners – all work of master stonemasons. Also, note the use of Turquoise in the building and the dark mud or grout – both trademarks of the Wungnema Family.
Sadly, this church was vandalized in February of 2016 and the statute of Mary in front of the church was damaged. Mary has been repaired and a protective plexi-glass shield now shields her. (See https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/crime-fire/severed-head-hands-of-virgin-mary-statue-marks-latest-tahoe-church-crime/
Back behind and near the church are a number of homes with pink stone chimneys. We think that these are the work of the Native American stonemasons from SIS. Some of the chimneys could even be the work of Ernest and/or Burton.
Back
Shrine
Side
Side view
Example of keystone in the window
If you have a chance, visit the church and admire her in person. Then take a ride through the surrounding homes and see how many pink stone chimneys you can spot!
The Stewart Community Baptist Church is on the grounds of the Stewart Indian School (SIS) on the southern edge of the campus. It sits directly across the street from the original Corpus Christi Catholic Church on Snyder Avenue.
The church was completed in 1950. The principal stonemasons were Ernest, Randall and Burton Wungnema. Masonry students from the SIS assisted with the stonework.
Stewart Community Baptist Church, 1950 (Photo 1950 Stewart Indian School yearbook)
The church is still used for religious services today. The church building is spacious which allows the church to host a number of support groups, community groups, expecting mothers and children up to 24 months plus a weekly food bank. It’s a happening place! There is a commercial kitchen that is original to the building. The bell in the tower used to ring on Sunday mornings, calling one and all to services. Now, the bell is only rung on special occasions.
If you visit the Stewart Indian School, be sure to tour the grounds of the Stewart Community Baptist Church. Sometimes, you can catch the ministry leadership at the church who are always eager to share their knowledge of the church.
Note: We recently learned that the while adjacent to the Stewart Campus, the Stewart Community Baptist Church is owned by the State of Nevada. The Baptist Church owns the land and the building. As such, it may not enjoy the protected status of the buildings on the campus. Those buildings have received National Historic Landmark status, which protects them from development and destruction.
Stewart Community Baptist Church, 2017
Stewart Community Baptist Church in the snow (internet photo)
This little cutie sits at the end of the Safari Mobile Home Park in Carson City. She looks unloved, yet we remember when she looked so different. Back in the lat 1970s, early 1980s, a friend of ours lived in this house and she took such good care of the house. To be sure, it’s a tiny house, just room enough for our friend and her dog. Back then, there was grass all around the house, there was a tall Cottonwood or two in front of the house and the inside was all cozy and cute.
We believe that the house was built by the Native American stonemasons from the Stewart Indian School. As such, she is a piece of Nevada History and deserves to be treated with respect.
Tiger Drive, front
Today, the house is surrounded by trailers. And we could not ascertain whether the house is part of the park or a separate entity. The house number does not come up in the Carson City Assessor’s database, so we are not really sure of the house’s status. At one point, the tenants of this park apparently didn’t care about curb appeal and the property fell into disrepair.
However, things are looking up – it seems as though the property is under new management and the property is being cleaned, updated and cared for. Maybe, some of that care will fall onto this little house and she will have a do-over. We’re going to keep an eye on her and will share our findings with you!
This little gem sits somewhere in Carson City. Where? Well, that’s a secret. The homeowners made us promise to not reveal its location. And, that’s a promise we intend to keep!
The Hidden House
What we do know is that the original owner contracted with officials at the Stewart Indian School in the late 1950s or early 1960s – seems the owner wanted the house built by the trade students at the school. When we say trade, we mean the electrical, plumbing, black smithing, carpentry and masonry students.
We know that members of the Wungnema Family (Randall Wungnema for one) took the lead on the stone work ( If you look closely, you can see a piece or two of Turquoise in the front wall of the pump house!). And there is quite a bit of stonework – the house with the fire place, the surrounding wall and the pump house. The finished work, the hard work by all the students, is gorgeous!
